Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 64
गर्भान्निर्गतमात्रैव प्रजा तस्य विनश्यति । पूतनादिग्रहकुलैर्बाध्यते च निरंतरम्
garbhānnirgatamātraiva prajā tasya vinaśyati | pūtanādigrahakulairbādhyate ca niraṃtaram
À peine sortis du sein maternel, ses enfants périssent ; et lui est sans cesse tourmenté par des cohortes d’esprits malfaisants, tels Pūtanā et autres semblables.
Deductive: Skanda (Kārttikeya) speaking within Setukhaṇḍa narration
Tirtha: Setukṣetra (Mahālaya omission—negative phala)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A sorrowful household scene: a newborn fades in the mother’s arms; shadowy figures labeled as bāla-grahas hover; Pūtanā-like silhouette retreats as Skanda’s absent protection is implied; the ritual altar remains unattended, emphasizing causality in the narrative.
FAQs
The Purāṇa frames ancestral rites as protective dharma; neglect is portrayed as inviting severe familial and subtle afflictions.
The Setu region’s Māhātmya context underlies the teaching, though this verse focuses on the consequences rather than a specific sub-tīrtha.
Implicitly: perform the prescribed Mahālaya śrāddha to avert such afflictions.